How do i write a good short film? Do the three Act rule still apply? With the short film is character driven better than action driven to grip the reader?

No matter what you're doing. Screenplay, short film, novel, etc, character is always more important and more interesting than actor. Create a character that is so compelling and so interesting that even in a short script, they leave an impact. Not exactly easy to do, but if you can pull it off, then you'll have a memorable short. Treat your short film like a screenplay, only shorter.  


Matt.

Thanks, just one last question. What is the best way to scribe that thought action or dialogue to have unforgettable characters?

No doubt character is the most important.

And whether your writing a synopsis for a book or a treatment for a film, characters should get more weight than the plot because plots are just reruns.  Even characters are often reruns, but it's the gentle twisting of the two that is needed to produce fresh stories even though people are still people and problems are problems.

The best way (but it sounds far too easy) is to show character through actions and dialogue.

The trouble I have with modern movies is that often you get the same use of foul language to excite scenes and show the big bad characters.  In my mind it doesn't work.  Personally, I don't like swearing.  It should be used for effect.  Not just in the movies, but in life we should try not to throw word tantrums that do nothing.  

If one walks around and spews out profanities and obscenities without a second thought, it doesn't show anything but ignorance.  Writers often get a bad wrap for using cliches, yet some screenwriters constantly use harsh language.

I don't have a problem with it used when necessary.  I just think it's overused.

I've heard it said that you can break rules if you know when and how you are breaking them. I believe that it's true, but when that happens, there is something else that is pulling weight in the story.

If you are focussing heavy on one character, it's time away from the others.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  It's a choice.

Determining what is going to bear a lot of weight in a short film or short story is hard because a lot of choices need to be made.  Good shots and scenes sometimes need to be taken out.  

Perhaps, the overall goal of the story needs to be considered first and then work (kind of like reducing to the lowest common denominator in math) down to the smallest beats and ask: Are these fitting with the larger concept?

Sandra

A short film needs a point that is reached in the shortest most direct path possible.

Character is king, but they need an arc of some sort to run through the duration of the film.

Change is best, but no change with lesson learned is all right as well.

Try not to just tell a story. No time for that. Lead the audience down a path and then reveal your true intentions.

The short is where you are allowed to break the rules. Don't just break them -- destroy them. Be weird. Be different. We already know what normal is.

Features require all that plot, sub-plot, character, supporting character stuff. Shorts should have one main character who we follow from beginning to end.

Oh, and a character need not be a person either. Anything is fair game for characterization in a short. Park bench, curse, locket, bridge, shoes. There is a story in everything, and a short is ideal for that sort of thing.

And since a short is short, give your character(s) the benefit of coming from somewhere and going to somewhere. It is rare that you should tell a full life story within a short's confines. Change, yes. All about his auntie's pet poodle, Schnoozie-poo? God, no.

A short should be fun to write, because it is where you can be the most expressive. Don't be confining. Have fun with it.